Sponge type mop having a detachable head



Aug. 16, 1955 J. H. TRXNDL 2,715,237

SPONGE TYPE MOP HAVING A DETACHABLE HEAD Filed July 8, 1950 2Sheets-Sheet 1 1771 2 27ZUT' Joke 07? H Trim 2 2: g 27/170; 7 M M H17 5Aug. 16, 1955 J. TRlNDL 2,715,237

SPONGE TYPE MOP HAVING A DETACHABLE HEAD Filed July 8, 1950 2Sheets-Sheet 2 1771 5 ZYZLUT dbseph H. Trim?! United States PatentSPONGE TYPE MOP HAVING A DETACHABLE HEAD Joseph H. Trindl, Chicago, Ill.

Application July 8, 1950, Serial No. 172,654

2 Claims. (Cl. 15-244) This invention relates to improvements in mopstructures and more particularly relates to a new and improved fasteningmeans for detachably securing a cleaning element to a mop head.

A principal object of my invention is to provide a novel form ofsecuring means arranged with a view toward securing a cleaning elementto a mop head in a simpler and more expeditious manner than formerly.

A further object of my invention is to provide a new and improved formof securing means for detachably securing a mopping element to a mophead by the insertion of a retaining member on the mop head through afabric sleeve on the mopping element.

A further and more detailed object of my invention is to provide asecuring means for detachably securing a cleaning element to a mop headby the use of a fabric sleeve secured to the cleaning element bymounting the sleeve on an attaching and securing member releasablysecured to the mop head.

These and other objects of my invention will appear from time to time asthe following specification proceeds and with reference to theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a cleaning element secured to amop head in accordance with my invention, showing the mop handle brokenaway;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the mop head shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially throughthe center of the mop head and cleaning element;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view somewhat similar to Figure 3but showing the attaching member released from the mop head at one ofits ends and showing the mop element as being inserted on the attachingmember;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken through the mop head andcleaning element;

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the mop head in a closed position withrespect thereto, showing the attaching member;

Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through a mop head andcleaning element, showing a modified form of detachably securing theattaching member to the mop head;

Figure 8 is a view illustrating a modified form of my invention in whicha brush has been substituted for the mopping element;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary plan view of the form of my inventionillustrated in Figure 8;

Figure 10 is an enlarged detail fragmentary sectional view showing anelongated brush secured to and extending from the forward wall of a mophead; and

Figure 11 is a rear end view of a cleaning element which may be mountedin the mop head of my invention.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, a mophead 10 is shown as having a handle 11 extending angularly upwardlytherefrom and as hav- "ice ing a relatively flat bottom portion having acleaning element 12 secured thereto. The cleaning element 12 may be madefrom a block of compressible material such as a natural or cellulosesponge, or any other like material, and in the form of my inventionshown in Figures 1 through 7 is shown as comprising a rectangular blockof cellulose sponge such as is commonly used for cleaning and moppingpurposes.

The mop head 10 is also shown as having a front vertical face 13 havinga rectilinear slot 14 extending therealong which is adapted to form asupport for a squeegee 15 which may be inserted therein and may projecttherefrom to be used for cleaning purposes and which may also serve asan end bumper for the mop to prevent damage to the baseboard orfurniture during mopping. Also, if desired, a brush 16 may besubstituted for the squeegee 15. The squeegee 15 and brush 16 and themounting thereof in slot 14 will hereinafter be more clearly describedas this specification proceeds.

The mop head 10 may be made from metal, wood, or from any of the wellknown forms of plastic materials on the market and is herein shown asbeing made from a thermoplastic material. A groove 17 is formed in thefiat bottom surface of the mop head 10 and conforms generally to themargins thereof. Said groove is adapted to have an attaching frame 19recessed therein.

The attaching frame 19 is shown in Figure 6 as being formed from a rodorwire bent to conform to the margins of the mop head. The adjacent endsof said frame are inserted in a rounded inwardly turned end portion 20of a hinge plate 21. The hinge plate 21 is secured to the bottom of themop head as by machine screws 22, and the inwardly turned end thereofextends within the groove 17 and forms a pivotal mounting for theattaching frame 19 on the bottom of the mop head. The end of the loop oropen portion of the frame 19 opposite the hinge plate 21 is adapted tobe engaged by a spring clip 23 secured to the bottom of the mop head bymachine screws 24 and having an inwardly and outwardly turned portion 25extending within an enlarged portion 26 of the groove 17 and outwardlytherebeyond. The outer end portion of said outwardly turned portion ofsaid clip has a concave engaging surface engaging the inside of the wireof the frame 19 and releasably holding said frame in parallel relationwith respect to the bottom surface of the mop head 10. The frame 19 mayreadily be hinged about its axis of connection to the hinge member 21 bypulling outwardly with the fingers for insertion within a relativelyflat fabric sleeve or loop 29 on the mop element 12, as shown in Figures4 and 5.

When the frame 19 is in the open position shown in Figure 4, the sleevemay readily be inserted along said frame, and said frame may be movedinto engagement with the clip 23 for securing the mop element to the mophead 10 and may be released from said clip to permit ready removal ofsaid mop element.

In Figure 7 I have shown a modified form in which my invention may beembodied wherein a second clip 25a like the clip 23 is employed in placeof the hinge member 21 to detachably clip the frame member 19 to thebottom surface of the mop head. In this form of my invention I bodilyremove the frame 19 and mop element 12 from the mop head to replaceother mop elements or brushing and cleaning elements.

It should here be noted that while the securing frame 19 is herein shownas being an open framework, it may be a plate or any other form ofmember which may be inserted through the sleeve 29 and detachablysecured in parallel relation with respect to the mop head.

The sleeve 29 is shown in Figures 4 and 5 as being formed from a pieceof fabric, such as canvas, cemented at its adjacent ends to the top of amop element 12.

3 As shown inthese figures, the endsof the fabric are shown as beingfolded under the body thereof for a short portion of the length thereofand one end of the fabric is cemented to the top of the mop element withthe folded portion extending under the top thereof. The fabric is shownas extending from the central portion of the mop element to the rearedge thereof. The fabric then extends forwardly along the mop elementover the cemented portion and is loose from the mop element to form aloop through which the securing frame 19 may be inserted. The remainingportion of the fabric then extends rearwardly along the mop element froma position short of the extreme forward end thereof to the adjacent endof the fabric and is cemented to the top portion of the mop element withthe folded-over portion extending therealong, forming a relatively flatsleeve. The extreme ends of the top layer of the fabric are shown inFigure 4 as being cut away to allow for the frame member 19 and thehinge member 21 and clip 23 so that the mop element and the sleeve maybe inserted on the frame member 19 with the ends of said frame memberprojecting beyond the ends of said sleeve.

It is obvious from the foregoing that the same form of sleeveconstruction may be used regardless of whether the securing frame 19 ishinged to the mop head, as shown in Figure 4, or clipped to the mophead, as shown in Figure 4.

It should be noted that the frame member 19 is partially recessed withina marginal slot 17 and engages the top portion of the canvas of the loopwith the bottom of the mop head and securely holds the mop element tothe mop head but allows a certain amount of flexibility thereof duringthe mopping operation, thus avoiding undue stress on the fabric backingand the tendency of the backing to loosen from the mop element afterrepeated mopping operations.

In a modified form of my invention shown in Figure 8, I have shown abrush secured to the bottom of the mop head by means of the attachingframe 19. In this form of my invention the brush is shown as havingbristles extending from a head 34, and a fabric sleeve 35 like thesleeve 29 is cemented to the top of the brush head 34 in a mannersimilar to which the sleeve 29 is cemented to the top of the, mopelement 12, the only difference being that the inturned ends of thefabric project from the top of the backing to provide a smooth surfaceof fabric in engagement with the top of the brush head. It is of courseobvious that other cleaning devices such as polishing heads, waxingapplications, dust mops, or any other type of cleaning devices, may bedetachably secured to the mop head in the same manner that the brush 33or mop element 12 is secured thereto.

The squeegee extends within the channel of a channeled bar 37 which iscrimped thereto. The bar 37 is shown in Figure 11 as being bowed so thatwhen it is inserted in the rectilinear slot 14 it will be distorted intoa substantially straight formation and hold the squeegee 15 within saidslot by the tendency of said bar to assume its original bowed form.

In Figures 8 and 9 the bristles of a brush 16 are shown as extendingwithin the channel of a channeled bar 39 which may be crimped to saidbristles and form a support therefor. Said bar is likewise bowed and maybe held in engagement with a slot 14 by the force exerted by thetendency of said bar to assume its bowed form.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effectedwithout departing from the scope of the novel concept of the presentinvention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a cleaning device, a mop head having a flat bottom surface, acleaning element comprising a block of cellulose sponge material adaptedto abut the flat bottom surface of said mop head and be secured thereto,means securing said block of cellulose sponge material to said mop headcomprising a fabric sleeve secured to and extending along the top ofsaid block of cellulose sponge material and open to each end thereof, anopen frame adapted to extend within said sleeve and beyond opposite endsthereof, the flat bottom surface of said mop head having a recessedportion extending thereabout adjacent the margins thereof and conformingsubstantially to the form of said open frame, means pivotally connectingone end of said open frame to said mop head to extend within therecessed portion thereof, and clip means securing said frame to extendwithin the recessed portion of said mop head and clipping said frame tomaintain tension on said sleeve to hold the block of cellulose spongematerial tightly in engagement with the flat bottom surface of said mophead by the tension maintained on said sleeve by said open frame. 7

2. A cleaning device comprising a mop head and a cleaning elementsecurable thereto, said mop head having a flat bottom surface facing thecleaning element and having a recessed portion extending therearoundinwardly of the margins thereof and conforming to the margins thereof,and means detachably securing said cleaning element to said mop headincluding an open attaching frame movable within said recessed portionof said mop head, means pivotally connecting one end of said frame toextend within said recessed portion, a spring clip carried within saidrecessed portion for detachably clippingthe opposite end of said framefrom its pivot to said mop head to extend within said recessed portion,and a relatively flat sleeve secured to the top of the cleaning elementfor insertion on said frame, said sleeve being shorter than said frameto accommodate the end of said frame to engage said spring clip and saidframe maintaining tension on said sleeve by engaging said sleeve withthe flat bottom of said mop head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,002,268 Hayden Sept. 5, 1911 1,124,283 Brophy Jan. 12, 1915 1,519,181Wilson Dec. 16, 1924 1,762,454 Poulos June 10, 1930 2,056,934Bohnenblust Oct. 13, 1936 2,080,334 Petrovsky May 11, 1937 2,163,638Vaughn June 27, 1939 2,354,969 Trindl et a1. Aug. 1, 1944 2,358,673Vaughn Sept. 19, 1944 2,442,467 Lux June 1, 1948 2,560,008 Steward July10, 1951 2,594,553 Greenleaf et al. Apr. 29, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS118,570 Sweden 1947

